Lights on.
A lies on ground, inert, dressed in white, facing the sky. Two onlookers stand around, a
few feet away.
B1: what do you think happened to him?
B2: I dunno… I saw him fall… I think he’s dead.
B1: he just fell?? You mean from a plane?
B2: no… I didn’t see anything… the sky was clear, and this white dot fell from the sky,
and now he’s here…
B1: who do you think we should call? How… what would we say happened?
[man’s toe twitches, catches B2s attention]
B2: (slowly steps closer to the body, murmurs) I… I think I just saw him move…
B1: (whispering) no way… (Raising his voice) there’s no fucking way that man could
have…
B2: (interrupts) LOOK! I’m telling you I just saw him move!!!
B1: (steps closer, next to B1)… no fucking way….. (Voice trails off)
[man twitches again. Moves foot… B1 steps back, afraid. Man turns on his side facing
them. Opens his eyes… The eyes are white.]
B2: (spills out a stream of every known obscenity, beginning with the word ‘holy’)
[A stretches left hand out towards B’s… Something terribly hurts him, he twists in
pain and holds his left shoulder with his right hand… Same pain penetrates his right
shoulder… He screams… in silence]
B1: (noticing the pain in the man’s face, wails in a mixture of sympathy and disgust…)
We have to do something...! (fear doesn’t allow them to move)
[B2 simply stares, shaking.]
[Man drops left hand and uses right hand to touch his back… He screams again… his
hand comes out smeared in blood. In a paranoid fashion, blind, he desperately tries to see
something around him, but is incapable of it. ]
B1: He’s bleeding… look at all that blood on his hand…
B2: [in anguished voice] We must help hiiim… there has to be something we can do…!?
[Man tries to stand, but is unable to, as if the legs are made of concrete. He coils and
slivers like a serpent. Two red blotches symmetrically mark each scapula (each side of
the back). He relaxes.]
[B’s remain silent as truth dawns upon them.]
[A minute of silence…]
B2: an angel… dude.. it’s an…
B1: ...angel... [shocked] is there anything we can do?
[Angel begins to tremble, even though it is warm outside. Heaven’s warmth is that of the
sun’s heat. ]
B2: he… he’s blind…
B1: paradise lost.
B2: how can you lose heaven?
B1: you betray god, or perhaps through a bureaucratic mistake.
B2: or he wanted to live again.
B1: no… (begins to cry).. no… no… no…
B2: what?
B1: this… this might be… the end of the world…
[a second of silence, as the idea sinks in… B2 begins to cry as well… sits on the grass,
watching the angel twitch in the cold]
B2: He’s suffering so much… Look at him.
B1: I know… there’s nothing we can do… not for him, not for ourselves…
B2: damn you, B1, there’s no reason god would kill us today… what kind of god would
do that anyway?
B1: the kind of god that tears the wings off angels and let’s them fall…
B2: (thinks for a minute) no… something isn’t right…
B1: what better explanation do you have?
B2: fuck if I know… this is unreal… I think I’m going crazy…
B1: no you’re not! Nooooooo… or else I wouldn’t see what you are seeing. Insanity
doesn’t usually work in pairs, unless we did some ‘shrooms… or acid…. Nooo… we
really are here, and that angel really is there, dieing. We have to help him.
B2: HOW? HOW? HOW?!?!?!?! HOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!!!?!?!?
B1: SHUT UP!!! Quit screaming!!!! Calm the fuck down!
B2: [unintelligibly screams]
[B1 launches himself towards B2’s face, trying to cover his mouth… B2, furious,
sees it coming and grabs the hand, throws B1 to the ground, and starts choking
him… The Angel grabs B2’s foot, which sends B2 screaming off B1 in fear.]
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